“ Conducted in partnership with Koorie Academy. Youth Yarning with Mob brought a group of young Aboriginal people together at the Parliament of Victoria to explore leadership, advocacy and community participation. Discussions were held with community leaders and members of parliament. The program culminated in the production of a podcast series. ”
Connecting with culture
Various cultural practices were included in the Youth Yarning with Mob program.
A Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony were held at the start of the first day.
A yarning circle was set up in the Parliament House gardens for the dialogue between Elders and the young people involved.
A message stick was used during the conversations and artefacts were displayed during the discussions and the filming of the podcast episodes.
Podcast series
Inspired by their discussions, program participants decided to produce a ten-episode podcast series led by young Aboriginal voices in conversation with community leaders and members of parliament.
The podcast was launched at Parliament House in March 2026, and the ten episodes are being progressively published to the Parliament of Victoria YouTube channel.
The series launch attracted national coverage in the National Indigenous Times and on NITV.
About Koorie Academy
A not-for-profit organisation, Koorie Academy provides opportunities and fun experiences, through sport, for mob. They run basketball clinics and events throughout the year that bring the community together from all across Victoria.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Koorie Academy is Ricky Baldwin, a proud Gunai Kurnai man. His passion lies in giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people opportunities to participate in and compete in sport, to learn about their cultural heritage and connections to country, and to build the knowledge, skills and resources they need to successfully engage in education and employment opportunities.
